Speaking at the conclusion of a greenhouse gas working group at the International Maritime Organization, which precedes MEPC 79, ICS Secretary General Guy Platten commented:

“At COP26, global shipowners reiterated their commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim’s closing remarks in Glasgow were: ‘We hear you.’

“We welcome signals that IMO member states now seem to be on track to adopt a similar target for international shipping, as well as a goal for 5% of the energy used by shipping to be produced from alternative fuels by 2030. But the hard work starts now.

“Many submissions on the table at the IMO include ambitious but pragmatic decarbonisation solutions, including ICS’s recent ‘Fund and Reward’ proposal. Government representatives at the MEPC must resist the urge to find fault, and instead find cohesion, to move these proposals forward. The increasing impacts of climate change will not wait.

“Zero-carbon fuels must be available in significant quantities no later than 2030 if we’re to have any hope of hitting a 2050 target. Encouragingly, consensus is growing. Proposals show a groundswell of support for a flat rate contribution per tonne of CO2 emitted by ships on a global basis, to accelerate the production and uptake of these fuels.

“The EU 27 have signalled acceptance of this approach rather than pursuing carbon trading on a global basis, and we hope next week will advance these complex negotiations further.

“We urgently need to reduce the political and investment risk. We can never forget that to decarbonise the world, you need shipping.”

For any further information contact: [email protected]

Katerina Dimitropoulos

Communications Manager